Alex Kitson: ‘Now Look Here’ and the Algorithm Nightmare (review) ****

With his characteristic awkwardness, unmatched enthusiasm, and relatable existential crisis of someone in their twenties, Devon-born comedian Alex Kitson brings his ‘Yurt Trilogy’ to its final act at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026.

After two acclaimed shows in 2024 and 2025, Alex returns with a brand new performance, Now Look Here, in the familiar, iconic, and unusually warm (for Edinburgh temperatures) Big Yurt at Hoots, Potterrow.

Alex looks extremely at ease in the same cosy and familiar spot that has hosted him for the past three years, yet he still shows a sort of awkwardness and anxiety that have become characteristic of his on-stage persona, and make him a rather unique performer.

Dressed in an unserious and original outfit, a tie tucked into an unironed white shirt, paired with sporty blue Adidas shorts, and standing beside a small table holding an old-fashioned desk phone and two of his (supposedly) favourite books, Alex is ready to introduce his new show, which explores, among other things, phones and how they are ruining our lives.

Last July, I spoke with him about his upcoming performance Now Look Here: he told me this revolves around algorithms, and the idea that everything we talk or think about will be shown on our phones, with adverts ready to sell us things that would eventually destroy us.

During the show, he explains how we fail to realise that everything on our phones is a trap: we want whiter teeth, and we get adverts for a new whitening product; we worry about acne, and we are shown products promising to get rid of it; we want to transform our bodies, and we are bombarded with images and adverts encouraging us to do so.

Everything we are shown only makes us feel even more stressed. For instance, Alex mentions how he keeps getting adverts encouraging him to join the army, joking that perhaps the algorithm has noticed he’s not up to much since he quit his day job.

But what I liked the most about his performance was this truthful and honest part of his story: the anxiety that comes with checking people’s job updates on LinkedIn, and the challenge to manage an artistic career that you love but, at the same time, especially in our twenties, brings uncertainty and financial struggles.

All the jokes felt extremely relatable: the existential crisis, the LinkedIn nightmare, and the discomfort that comes when people ask you ‘so what do you do? What’s your job?’

Every time Alex has a problem, his mates suggest he join a running club, explaining that it’s the new flirting trend of the moment. It felt like a recurrent episode of my twenties as well: ‘join a running club, all your problems will dissolve’.

But then, as Alex jokes about it, you see all the people running in London in expensive kit, which means they are actually earning money with their big corporate jobs, and suddenly joining the club feels like the start of a whole new existential crisis.

Jokes aside, Now Look Here feels like a warm hug (maybe a little too warm in that Big Yurt!), and a funny, reassuring reminder from an excellent performer that there’s more to life beyond our screens. If we stop focusing so much on the things that are actually destroying us, perhaps we might realise that, in many ways, our dreams have already come true.

Now Look Here by Alex Kitson is at The Big Yurt at Hoots, Potterrow, 7th to 30th August, 8:45pm